Stefaans Coetzee sent Karina M Szczurek a number of questions.
Karina M Szczurek, could you please introduce yourself in a few sentences for our readers?
Polish by birth, Austrian by citizenship and South African by heart, I am a reader, writer, editor and publisher based in Cape Town. I count myself extremely lucky, because I write and work with stories for a living. After my turbulent, migratory early life, South African stories brought me to this country. The old Victorian house I share now with Salieri, my beloved literary catssistant, has been my home for the past 20 years. I am gradually approaching my fiftieth birthday, but I am still learning how to be in this strange world, and loving the adventure.
What made you decide to start a short story workshop, which would result in anthologies?
After the success of Tiger: Karavan Stories 2023 and Temperature: Karavan Stories 2024, be part of the thirdKaravan Stories anthology! We will meet again for a writing workshop at the end of April and together analyse what makes a good short story, read examples, go through a few writing exercises, begin exploring ideas for new stories and in the following months write, edit and compile an anthology of stories which will be published by Karavan Press.
WORKSHOP DATE: Saturday, 26 April 2025, 9:00 – 15:00
VENUE: 6 Banksia Road, Rosebank, 7700 Cape Town
PUBLICATION DATE: October / November 2025
FEE: R3 900
Includes: workshop, catering during the day of the workshop, guidance and feedback, editing, proofreading, 5 copies of the anthology and the option to submit your next manuscript to Karavan Press.
Maximum number of participants: 14 (ONLY 4 SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE, book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment).
Karina M. Szczurek is the author and (co)editor of numerous works of fiction and non-fiction. She won the MML Literature Award in the Category English Drama in 2012, received the Thomas Pringle Award for a portfolio of ad hoc reviews from the English Academy of Southern Africa in 2018 and the HSS Award for Best Fiction Edited Volume in 2024. She is a board member of Short Story Day Africa. In 2019, she founded Karavan Press, an independent publishing house, and a year later, established the Philida Literary Award.
After the success of Tiger: Karavan Stories 2023, be part of the secondKaravan Stories anthology! We will meet again for a writing workshop at the end of April and together analyse what makes a good short story, read examples, go through a few writing exercises, begin exploring ideas for new stories and in the following months write, edit and compile an anthology of stories which will be published by Karavan Press.
WORKSHOP DATE: Saturday, 20 April 2024, 9:00 – 15:00
VENUE: 6 Banksia Road, Rosebank, 7700 Cape Town
PUBLICATION DATE: November 2024
FEE: R3 900
Includes: workshop, catering during the day of the workshop, guidance and feedback, editing, proofreading, 5 copies of the anthology and the option to submit your next manuscript to Karavan Press.
If you cannot afford the fee but would like to participate, please get in touch. Two places will be available to writers who require financial assistance.
Maximum number of participants: 12.
Participants not based in Cape Town can join via Skype (maximum two).
FACILITATOR / EDITOR: Karina M. Szczurek is the author and (co)editor of numerous works of fiction and non-fiction, most recently two anthologies of short stories, Fluid: The Freedom to Be (with Joanne Hichens, Tattoo Press, 2023) and Tiger: Karavan Stories 2023 (Karavan Press). She won the MML Literature Award in the Category English Drama in 2012 and received the Thomas Pringle Award for a portfolio of ad hoc reviews from the English Academy of Southern Africa in 2018. She is a board member of Short Story Day Africa. In 2019, she founded Karavan Press, an independent publishing house, and a year later, established the Philida Literary Award.
Be part of the first Karavan Stories anthology! We will meet for a writing workshop at the end of April and together analyse what makes a good short story, read examples, go through a few writing exercises, begin exploring ideas for new stories and in the following months write, edit and compile an anthology of stories which will be published by Karavan Press.
Photo: Etienne Swanepoel | Unsplash
WORKSHOP DATE: Saturday, 22 April 2023, 9:00 – 15:00
Includes: workshop, catering during the day of the workshop, guidance and feedback, editing, proofreading, 5 copies of the anthology and the option to submit your next manuscript to Karavan Press.
If you cannot afford the fee but would like to participate, please get in touch. Two places will be available to writers who require financial assistance.
Maximum number of participants: 12.
Participants not based in Cape Town can join via Skype (maximum two).
FACILITATOR / EDITOR:
Karina M. Szczurek is the author and (co)editor of a dozen works of fiction and non-fiction, most recently a memoir, The Fifth Mrs Brink, a collection of letters, You Make Me Possible: The Love Letters of Karina M. Szczurek and André Brink, and an anthology, Disruption: New Short Fiction from Africa. She won the MML Literature Award in the Category English Drama in 2012 and received the Thomas Pringle Award for a portfolio of ad hoc reviews from the English Academy of Southern Africa in 2018. She is a board member of Short Story Day Africa. In 2019, she founded Karavan Press, an independent publishing house, and a year later, established the Philida Literary Award.
karavanpress.com 